InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Betrayal's Gift ❯ Chapter 10

A/N: I'm sorry that I had to repost this story, for some reason the first one wouldn't let you see the prologue, some people were getting confused. So, it was brought to my attention and I placed it back up. I am also sorry for the long awaited update, real life kinda gets in the way at times. There just isn't enough time in a day. Well, here is chapter 9

 

 

Hotaru walked through the forest and wondered where she was for real, for this had to be a dream. The air was clean and crisp a sign of autumn in the air the sky blue and all the tall buildings were gone. She thought about what had happened before she woke up in this dream.

 

Sadness filled her heart as she walked slowly until she saw the Goshinboku tree. She ran to it and climbed up in its bough's. She closed her eyes and some how she felt a lot better. She studied her body and noticed that her body seemed different here. It was like her energy hummed. She felt in tuned to everything around her.

 

“Wait a minute, if this is the Goshinboku then that means…where is the shrine?”

 

She climbed back down and noticed that her thighs were still sore from the incident. She crossed her arms and rubbed them with her hands. She slumped her shoulders just thinking about how her parents must believe that she allowed Ken to just use her.

 

She remembered how much her father told her never to give it up to any man until she was properly married but when she saw him with that woman her heart broke for how could he preach one thing but do the opposite. All the things that Fuu and the others had saidwas true. So what did that make her? No wonder why Ken did what he did to her.

 

“No Hotaru, you did not deserve that! Your father's actions do not determine who you are!”

 

She told herself while hugging onto her arms for self support, however, she heard the laughing in her head and she clutched it with her palms reciting her mantra.

 

She continued to walk toward the village and noticed that the shrine wasn't there. She began to worry for real now; this had to be a dream. Her home was supposed to be right there.

 

“Excuse me are you lost?”

 

Hotaru looked down to see a young girl with dark brown eyes and tangled black hair. She was a little dirty from playing in some mud.

 

“The Higurashi shrine, where did it go?”

 

The little girl laughed as she took Hotaru's hand. Hotaru followed the girl and went back into the woods.

 

“I don't understand? Why are we going back into the forest?”

 

“Because what your looking for is this way.” Said the little girl with a giggle.

 

Suddenly Hotaru noticed a red gleam glowing around the girl and tried to take her hand away becoming alarmed.

 

“Um…little girl are you…alright?”

 

“I'll be great as soon as a get a meal!”

 

With that the little girl disappeared and in her place with the girls skin sinking to the floor stood a huge lizard youkai and snapped its teeth toward a now horrified Hotaru.

 

Hotaru turned to run and in the process ripped her shirtsleeve on the claws of the youkai.

 

“Oh no, you wont get away from me girl.” Hissed the nasty lizard.

 

It lept into the air and landed on Hotaru's back knocking the wind out of her. However, she was in a position that didn't sit to well with her, all of a sudden flash backs snapped like pictures in her head and she screamed in fury.

 

“No, you won't hurt me again; I won't let you not this time!” Hotaru cried out with tears streaming her face. She felt her body getting hot as a purple flow of light engulfed her person. The lizard screamed in pain.

 

“What…what is happening?!”

 

It hissed and the next thing it knew it dispersed into small flakes of purple lights and then… nothing. Hotaru lay there crying as pain from the not so long ago past haunted her. She curled up in a ball trying to rid herself of the dirty feeling that washed over her senses.

 

Meanwhile some of the villagers saw her and witnessed what had happened. An older woman knelt beside her.

 

“Tis alright now child, ye killed the youkai whose been haunting our village for sometime.”

 

When the woman touched Hotaru the girl flinched.

 

“I won't let you hurt me again, no I won't.” The young girl sobbed.

 

“Nay, no one will hurt ye now child, come, come to the village, eat something and rest.”

 

Hotaru looked up wearily and saw the old woman. She looked harmless enough, but so did that young little girl. The old woman sensed the girls' reluctance.

 

“I am Naoko; I am the village healer, so please come, come child. It is getting late and more youkai will come out. But don't worry, Master Shippo and Lord Inuyasha will finish flushing out any others that threaten.”

 

Hotaru stood up on wobbly legs like a young colt and winced at the sting on her knee from where she collided on the rocks on the ground. She followed the old woman and some of the other villagers back to the small huts in the village.

 

 

A/N: I know the woman sounds like Kaede but, shouldn't there be a wise old woman?

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